


Born From Ashes

by Morieris



Category: Ever After High
Genre: Minor Original Character(s), it's a little grim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-08 03:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5482202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morieris/pseuds/Morieris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Ashlynn's destiny begins, and starts to go rather awry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A birthday present for my friend! Ashlynn is his favorite character...although this is rather grim /shrug emoji. Happy birthday anyway Christian!

_Evil Queens are the Princesses who were never saved._

_Well, even Cinderella got tired of waiting._

_Tired of cleaning._

_Tired of being screamed at, ignored, and humiliated._

She glanced around the dark, dank corridor; Nothing but the hum of bugs crawling over the remains of intruders, the drip of water. 

Flapping; A pair of birds holding something descended from the air, fluttering in place as Ashlynn looked at their gift; One of the garish banners the old woman had put up. She smiled gratefully at the birds and took the cloth, whispering "Bless you, friends." as they flew away. "Oh - and please - if you see him around, make sure my boy is okay."

She wasn't sure if they had heard, but that was fine.

Whistling merrily, she walked down the hallway, ripping the banner into long strips, tossing it into the thick, gnarled bushes and brambles that she rose into the hallway from her twisted nature magic.

Better use as bedding for a nest for her friends than an ugly reminder of her past.

* * *

 

It had grown empty when her mother died and emptier still when her father, stuck in his grief, married someone barely older than Ashlynn. 

Rachen Mirwood had shoulder length coppery hair, long eyes, and a tall, sturdy frame - just a girl from a neighboring village.

 She hadn’t been rude to Ashlynn, insisting mightily on helping with the chores during her courtship to the king. If circumstances were different, Rachen might have made a good friend to the princess -  _I mean, we’re more or less the same age_.

Ashlynn treated Rachen kindly - it must have been hard, just being a replacement bride to fill a story - and she tried not to blame her father, and everything was as fine as it could be. It had grown rather lonely - most of the help had gone to rear their own families, start businesses, or just for a change of pace, though she had thought it suspicious how many of them left at once.

Perhaps they had felt the crushing coldness as well. Even the morning birdsong didn’t sound as sweet without Queen Chryma singing along. Chores were done without a tune. 

When Rachen and the king were married - signing of official papers, a few photos for the paper in town - she brought along not only her two siblings, Bronnin, with bright, deep eyes amid greasy skin that seemed too small for his face and Tamlyn, with stringy hair and a crooked grin, but her aunt and caretaker, Lady Ambea. Ashlynn had expected the two stepsisters she had gone to school with, not an entirely new family, but there was no doubt as to what was happening.

_Oh - fun._

* * *

 

Ashlynn knew her destiny when she saw it - and her mother taught her well -  _One day you will serve people who are highly unpleasant. They might abuse you. But you are Cinderella, and you know what we have done._

So she had squared her shoulders, put on a nice smile, and went to meet her new extended family, who had received her politely enough - Bronnin more so  - and Lady Ambea had immediately asked for tea with milk - “ _If it wasn’t too much trouble, dear, this castle - so big! I don’t know where to go!_ ” Her voice sounded as if she was talking from the bottom of a well, but her eyes were kind and apologetic.

The years had passed, and Rachen’s family got more and more demanding, rude, invasive. Tamlyn stealing her mother’s shoes to wear out into the village, often stumbling home with only one. Her school friends had taken pity on her -  _was her destiny supposed to be that cruel?_ \- and often sent her leads on where her mother’s missing shoes were. Ashlynn would often scour the Mirrornet at night, hoping to rebid on the lost mate and bring it home.

Lady Ambea was a particular older woman - she had shooed all the remaining maids away - “It’s easier to train one girl to do it right than a dozen.”, she had said. She was constantly calling Ashlynn for the most menial and monotonous of things. 

Never using her name.

 Ashlynn thought about pulling rank on occasion - she may not have been queen, but she was a princess - but she remembered what her mother taught her since infancy.  _Work and serve and it will all be over one day._

At first, Rachen would try to reign them in, but Ashlynn had a feeling that her attempts were half hearted. She grew short tempered and irritable, trying to learn how to manage a kingdom with her husband while also heavily indulging in the newfound luxury of royalty. King Arbyn worked tirelessly for his kingdom and came home so rarely, he had new gray hairs whenever Ashlynn caught a glimpse of him.

Bronnin mostly had his slippery fingers in the gold coiffers - gambling, betting, funding small startup companies that sunk within minutes. Ashlynn couldn’t get away quickly enough from his leering whenever she was in his vicinity. He often tossed coins - her inheritance - at her, telling her to _rip that pretty dress off and scrub the floor harder_.  _Don’t want to ruin it._

Rachen avoided her family more and more - Ashlynn began to think she had dragged them along out of obligation, not love. Which she was beginning to understand the more she dealt with them. Soon, the young queen hardly ever came out of her bedroom - “Became nothing but a bedwarmer,that one.” Sneered Ambea - and within a few months, Rachen was pregnant. 

Between her many chores - Helping the ever finicky Ambea with her knitting, pretending she did not see Bronnin’s illegal gambling ring on pegasus races from the money he made from pawning her mother’s tiaras, hauling Tamblyn up to her room after finding her unconscious in the main hall - she found the time to help Rachen and ease her burden.

“It’s been hard, Ashlynn, but I must thank you for putting up with them.” She told her one chilly evening as they sat by the fire. 

 _Well, it hasn’t been hard for you._  Ashlynn thought, but that tiny bit of gratitude did ease some of the pain she had suffered from the past year and a half. “I ... appreciate that.” She poured more tea from the custom - made dragon skull teapot. “Do you see Father these days? How ... how is he?”

The queen shrugged, grabbed the tin of empty gingerbread and molasses waffles, and waved it at Ashlynn to replace. “Haven’t seen him in days.”

She sighed and took the tin.  _Oh well._


	2. Chapter 2

Three days later, the news reached the skant, unhappy household - King Arbyn had simply dropped dead from overwork on his way to a King’s Summit.

Ashlynn was the only one crying, trying to keep composed enough to hear the remaining message from the news carrier and his companion. Rachen bowed her head in grief, and even Bronnin and Tamblyn had decency enough to look sad at the news. 

Lady Ambea grimaced. “A pity, real pity, may he rest in peace. But!” She reached over and patted Rachen’s round stomach. “We got what we came for! Didn’t we? Don’t we get this castle? That’s his heir she’s carrying about, y’know.”

During that stunned silence, Ashlynn’s jaw dropped and she strode forward, unable to stop herself, “Of all the things to say _right now_ \- after ruining so much of his - _our_ \- home -” 

The other gentleman coughed lightly, pulling an open envelope from his suit pocket. “Actually...King Arbyn never updated his will when he remarried.” He began to read ‘ _Castle Ella will be bequeathed to our Daughter, Ashlynn Ella, and whomever her Prince may be. As long as it isn’t a Charming, Dashing, or Adventurous...’_ ”

As she kept staring down Lady Ambea, Ashlynn’s heart began to rise. There was that, at least. At least there would be no funeral to plan - he had known that he and his wife would die so their daughter could have her destiny, planning simply to be buried together under the same tree.

When he had concluded, Ambea jerked her head “But of course - of course, forgive me dear.” She smiled sadly, insincerely. “This _is_ your family home. Of course.” She grasped Bronnin and Tamblyn by the shoulders and steered them away. “If you’ll excuse us...” She called over her shoulder, eyes slightly narrowed.

Rachen tottered over, taking Ashlynn’s hand gently. She said nothing, but tears streamed down her face.

* * *

 

Ambea, once held back by the King’s fondness for his first wife’s decorating taste, set about redecorating the castle in garish reds and oranges, ugly porcelain animals, and far too many dark, heavy, tasseled curtains. 

“Time to make this place a real palace instead of an eco-hovel!” She had sung out, charging everything to the dwindling.

Tamblyn had unearthed her mother’s old dresses and set about altering them. Ashlynn had to admit - the changes weren’t terrible.

But the dresses hadn’t been _hers_. She hadn’t even asked permission, and Ashlynn could only rescue a simple, brown dress that Chryma had worn when frolicking in the forest.

However, she did quickly hide her mother’s glass slippers in her room. They may have been terrible guests, but they at least didn’t intrude in her sanctuary, where she cried over old family albums with the woodland creatures who hadn’t been driven off, hunted, or eaten.

Late nights would have her opening her Mirrorphone, seeing photos of her and her first boyfriend - Hunter - and wondering where he was, and why he wasn’t here with her.

There was _supposed_ to be a rescue - right?

Stories differed from generation to generation. It wouldn't be horribly beyond the norm if her woodsman came in a blaze of glory. Ashlynn wouldn't even mind if he broke the door the king had crafted with his very own hands, as long as the nightmare was over.

She imagined her friends were deep in the midst of their own destinies and couldn’t find the time to hext.

That's what she told herself. 

* * *

Her only joy came in taking care of her half-brother.

Rachen had her baby - Wrenley, a bright eyed, healthy boy. She loved her son, but carrying him to term had cost her dearly. She tried to help Ashlynn in his care, but the princess saw how weak she was becoming, often leaving him alone to squall at the top of his lungs.

So Ashlynn often pushed him around in a basket upon a trolley as she did her chores, singing and talking to him, telling him stories, letting bunnies sleep in his basket with him when she swept the steps outside. Eating lunch together in cramped closets, avoiding the rest of the household as they screamed and shouted for Ashlynn to clean, sew, or make this.

She didn’t trust his blood family to care for him - if they were even aware he still lived after being born, it would be news to Ashlynn.

After a year, Rachen had died in her sleep - she had simply given up, unable to will herself out of bed, wasting away.

There was even less concern for her than for the king; Ambea, Bronnin, and Tamlyn didn’t even bother showing up for the burial, leaving Ashlynn and Wrenley standing out in the crisp wind in heavy coats in a small graveyard amid the fallen leaves, Ashlynn struggling to think of something positive to say. Minutes passed, but Ashlynn couldn't think of any, and she was getting cold.

She bounced the toddler on her hip. "It's you and me now, Wren." She said quietly. "Just like always."

Eventually, the pair of them made their way back to the castle, where Ashlynn quietly recited happier fairytales to him as she gathered her supplies to clean out the master suite.

* * *

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a comment, but this entire layout kind of eludes me...so thank you :D and thank you for kudos!

Another day tiptoeing around her home.

She had been shunted out of her room by Tamblyn, who ‘needed a big, roomy space to work on her designs’. Piles of cloth were strewn about, several tables had half-sewn skirts and dresses on them, ornaments strewn across the floors, and even then, the room was more of a makeshift guest bedroom for whoever came home with Tamblyn that night.

 Ashlynn left the room she now shared with Wrenley, passing a room where the occasional puff of multicolored smoke emitted a stench like rotten eggs. Bronnin popped his head out, slurring his words “Hey - Ash! C’mere for a bit.” calling down the hall.

Ashlynn clenched her fists. She hated dealing with the smoke, illegal activity, and her uncle in law most of all. But still, she went forward.

The room had a few of his associates milling around, smoking from pipes, cultivating mushrooms under a dim lamp in the corner. A group of goblins talked low in a circle, drinking from frothing mugs. Capture faeries in jars occasionally turned color on the walls. A few had stopped moving.

 Bronnin was sitting at the table in the middle, hands and cards flashing at a game of poker. Mice on the table sorted and pushed the chips around with tiny pushers, and it made her heart hurt. 

“What is it, Bronnin?” She said coldly. “I’m busy.”

He nodded to a stool by the table. “You deserve a break. Take a load off.”

As she went to sit as far away as she could on the tiny stool, he reached over and grabbed her waist, pulling her onto his lap amid laughter. Her face was flushed as she struggled, but he held firm.

“What do you want?” She said loudly.

“Lookit this, girl,” He waved a hand over the table. Ashlynn couldn’t tell, but he must have been winning with how broadly he grinned. “All o’this will be just grand fer hostin’ a ball fer you.”

When she returned a blank stare, he continued. “That’s wot yer waitin’ on, innit? A grand ball, to find yer prince?” Her pulled her closer, and she could smell the liquor on his breath. “Well - ‘m right here  - we share a ‘ouse, not a last name - yet.”

He leaned in to kiss her - 

Ashlynn jumped up, breaking away. Saying nothing, she pushed through the now howling crowd toward the door, breaking free, turning sharply away from the hands reaching out to grab her. Loud swears and curses followed her, but her jittering nerves tuned them out.

_That’s it._

Shaking, Ashlynn ran down the hallway, trying not to sob. She jShe rummaged through her Mirrorphone, looking for her old school contacts.

_I am not Cinderella._

There she was - Raven Queen.

_I won’t be._

She hoped that 

_Not after I flip the script._

* * *

 

It had taken weeks of correspondence with her old friend - wherever Raven was, phone service was terrible - but eventually the two of them had hatched a plan to free Ashlynn from her wicked family.

The trick was waiting.

While doing her chores, Ashlynn eavesdropped on the few staff who remained. Listening to how the money was nearly all gone, how the village they ordained was doing fine, but the castle would be up for sale sooner rather than later. That nearly destroyed her, and she set forth her Whisper.

A _Whisper_ was of Raven’s own invention. A tiny ball of nearly invisible spiderwebs she would speak to and toss into a room. The next person to enter would have the thought slither into their brain.

It wasn’t guaranteed to spark an idea, but it was a start.

She crouched outside Lady Ambea’s room while she was taking her afternoon tea, loudly talking on the phone. 

Bringing the Whisper to her mouth, Ashlynn spoke quietly; _Wouldn’t a ball be nice? Things have been so very tense lately...we would certainly have fun_.

She poked the thought through the crack of the door and blew on it, pushing it into the room.

Soon enough, she heard Ambea stammer and continue talking. “You know, Evalia, what would be fun? A ball! This place has gone to ruin since the king and queen died - money’s almost out, you know. Yes, we still have the girl, and it is her inheritance - but what can she do? No one wants a maid. We can’t even force Bronnin to marry her anymore so _he_ would be king.”

Ashlynn stifled a gag. 

“What will we do after the money is gone? Well...Tamblyn’s almost of marrying age, if we can pull her away from whoever she stumbles home with at night. Certainly there must be some other poor widower out there...but for now,” She chuckled, “Let’s go out with a bang!”

It was working.

* * *

 

Raven had started her out with reading from a simple email of spells. 

“You have nature magic, Ash, not actual energy magic like me.” She had typed. “Go into your village and get those pills to extend your magic.”

It had been a struggle - the family would rarely let Ashlynn see far beyond the steps of the palace - but under the guise of taking Wrenley to see the breadmakers, she managed to go beyond the oppressive walls. Holding her brother, she walked quickly into the snowy forest, admiring the crunch her old winter boots made in the frost.

When the castle was out of view, she closed her eyes and breathed in the air, feeling almost like nothing was wrong. She had half a mind to run away - but how far could they get, with no supplies? Her title meant next to nothing, and while she was certain her old school friends would help, she had no idea what they were doing, or where they were.

_And it isn’t part of my story._

She watched as Wrenley grabbed at falling flurries, quietly laughing, halfheartedly joining in as they walked through the woods. Ashlynn at least stopped to talk with her animal friends, who all expressed their sorrow at her lot in life.

“Oh, it’s just my story.” She had replied to a squirrel. “It’ll be over soon enough...”

* * *

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally uploaded a chapter twice - thank you NightRaze for telling me! And this should be completed in January! Mainly because I have 10k of another EAH story to post too.

Ashlynn had practiced late into the night. She had found a simple golden ring in the magic shop; Nothing she would wear often, but it would get the job done. There were only so many spells she was capable of doing in the small bedroom. The potion was easy - the one that was most important were impossible to practice.

She volunteered to go chop firewood, practicing the most important spell on the pile of logs. The logs might have ended up broken, splintered clunks, terrible for a proper fire, but it was what she wanted.

The protection spell was easier when it was cast on another being. It was easier to extend care to someone else than for Ashlynn to use it upon herself. She cast it upon animals in the forest doing dangerous tasks, such as tussling rabbits or bears searching for honey. It took her weeks to get that down, and it only clicked for her when she remembered that Wrenley couldn’t survive without her - 

And she couldn’t be without him either.

* * *

 

Ashlynn had insisted on making her pumpkin pie for the festitivies. “It’s my specialty.” She said shakily, to the three frowning Mirwood members.

“Well, unless you’re going on my arm, the only way you’ll get there is as a servant.” Sneered Bronnin, taking a handful of chessmen mix from an open bowl.

“Fine with me.” Sniffed Ashlynn, “I just wanted to help. I’ll be taking care of Wrenley anyway.”

“Oh, let her help!” Said Tamblyn, “I’ve told everyone that my sister in law is the best cook in town! They’ll be so happy to finally try something you’ve made.”

 “You bring people home all the time, and you haven’t fed them after all that time?” “Are you really _that_ drunk on Elderberry wine all the time you can’t even tell? Is that why you’ve butchered my mother’s dresses?”

Tamblyn screeched and lunged at her, grabbing her hair, yanking a fistful of it out. 

“You little - wench!” She screamed as Bronnin held her back, “At least I’ve got a life? What d’you do? With your fancy pedigree, all ye do is clean an’ mop, you -”

Ashlynn could take no more. She ran out, up the long stairs to the tiny bedroom she had been shoved into, the one she shared with Wrenley and whatever animal found her that day. Rubbing the spot on her head where her hair had been attacked, she peered into the crib to see him sleeping peacefully.

She wasn’t just in it for herself anymore.  

* * *

 

The night of the ball, Ashlynn had told her woodland friends and Wrenley her plan. She stalked around the room, clipping in her earrings, wearing her old Legacy Day dress, which hung more loosely than she remembered.

“It’s so very important that you all remain up here. No matter what may happen, I will be back.” She cupped her brother’s face in her hand, smiling as he giggled. “You behave, ok? Don’t make it any harder for these poor creatures. No animal soup!”

The squirrels chittered in laughter as the rabbits looked nervous. A pair of birds placed a large necklace upon her; Ashlynn smiled as she pulled up her hair, allowing them to fasten the clasp.

Bending down, she pulled a small pan of feed from under her bed. “Something for you, and something for Wren.” Ashlynn said lightly, taking a bundle of wrapped cookies from her dresser and handing them to a deer. “Not until after dinner!”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost there. Only another two updates left. The next story is at the least, 15k words long, so it's a fair bit longer. Thank you for all the kind feedback you've left!

The night of the ball came, filled with people she didn’t know and didn’t want to know. In her dress, Ashlynn stood near the food table, encouraging everyone to try her pumpkin pie. 

Looking about, she saw Ambea and Tamlyn share a piece, visibly oohing and ahhing in front of their friends. Ashlynn could only imagine what they were saying - “Oh, Ashlynn - so talented, we love her so much!” - and tried hard not to roll her eyes. She hadn’t seen Bronnin, but no matter - he was probably surrounded by gambling partners.

After another hour or so, the multiple pie tins were wiped clean, people often coming back for seconds, disappointed when there was none. They did, however, ask if she would take orders. “Oh, perhaps.” She had lied  breezily. “Come see me after the party, and i’ll take your number.”

She noticed the few remaining staff members hauling out small things like plates and glasses. Thinking nothing of it, she continued to serve the food ... until she was ornaments and figurines taken out  - as well as money being exchanged for the objects.

And Ashlynn was not surprised at all to see Ambea conducting.

Marching  straight to the older woman, Ashlynn confronted her. “What are you doing?!” She said, outraged.

Ambea cackled. “This is an estate sale!” She looked as Ashlynn’s shocked face. “You didn’t expect us to remain in poverty, not after you’ve fattened us up with this royal living, eh, girl?” She turned to Tamblyn. “Bring them out.”

“You can’t!” Screamed Ashlynn, as two guards drunkenly held onto her as she struggled against them. 

“Why not?” She sniffed. “This is the tale of Cinderella, is it not? It’s what you’ve been rasied for.”

“Not this! Callousness, yes, but not cruelty, not _assault_ -”

“I’ve got them!” 

Ashlynn’s blood ran cold. 

Her mother’s famous glass slippers. Stained with fingerprints, held carelessly in one hand. Tamblyn took the slippers to Ambea, who smiled and received them.

“Ah yes,” She mumbled, before raising her voice. “The very slippers worn by Cinderellas over countless centuries - until now.” She grinned wickedly at Ashlynn. 

“Let’s start the bidding, say, three million? Any takers?” 

Ashlynn quickly looked at the food table. Her pies were gone, only crumbs left. 

"Three million!”

“I know I hear four!”

Ashlynn bowed her head. She hoped she had said the protection spell Raven coached her through well. She knew the other two by heart.

Spinning the ring on her finger, Ashlynn felt it grow hot, and shouted out the first spell.

Everyone stared at her for a moment. Suddenly, they grew heavier, shorter, _oranger_. Plates and purses were dropped; One of the glass slippers cracked at the heel as Ambea had turned into a pumpkin, like her niece and party guests.

Step one.

She turned to see that she was no longer held back by the guards. Ashlynn stood up quickly and looked around; Was that everyone? Somehow, she wasn’t - 

“What the -”

Curse them _all_.

Bronnin had somehow left the room and returned to see everyone but Ashlynn as vegetables, another guest trailing behind him.

“What’s going on?” The stranger asked faintly.

“ _You_! That’s it, yer learnin’ yer lesson right now, honey -” He stormed toward Ashlynn - who had grown beyond being afraid.

That would make this all the sweeter. Filled with a magic she didn’t know she had possessed, all thought to her own safety forgotten, she whispered the second command as Bronnin rushed toward her.

Only she heard the rumbling of the chamber as the stone began to tumble around them. 

Ashlynn Ella laughed as the heavy stones crushed the pumpkins, the table, Bronnin - and then the world went black.

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

_Mom?_

Everything was dark. Not necessarily painful, but Ashlynn felt very tired. Completely spent. Maybe that’s how it felt when you first died - 

Something shifted above her and suddenly pain flared in her arm.

_Okay, not dead._

What had happened? The ball - her home - the family - 

Ashlynn worked on moving slowly; First her feet and ankles, then her legs. One wiggled free, the other trapped beneath - something. She couldn’t see it, a fairly big pile of stones sat heavy on her chest. Grasping and tossing them aside took several minutes with her one arm, but eventually, she could push herself up into a sitting position.

The grand ballroom her parents had danced in was reduced to rubble. Crushed pumpkin was littered about the room, stuck to giant pieces of shale - one of which sat heavy on her right leg. Wanting a better view, she willed herself past the pain and tried a basic levitation spell Raven had tried to teach her. 

The energy alone almost made her black out again, but slowly, the stone rose a few centimeters and she was able to slide it away. Oddly, it was no worse for the wear, being heavily bruised but able to support most of her weight, leaving her with a bad limp.

_I guess that protection spell did work._

For the first time since her parents died, the quietness of the castle didn’t bother Ashlynn. The maids and guards she had known since childhood weren’t here to watch her brutal trap play out. 

She knew she should feel bad, torn apart, like a monster for killing innocent people - let alone innocent party guests.

But enough had been enough. It was her or them, years of the abuse, far beyond the unpleasantness her story dictated.  There was no prince, no mice, only herself.

_Wrenley._

She gasped, and haphazardly made her way across the rubble as quickly as she could, falling near the edge of the ballroom and crying out in pain. Shaking on the ground, she whispered out in pain, hoping most of her animal friends hadn’t fled the area during the commotion.

“Friends...help me now -”

Seconds. Minutes. Then -

Something fluffy sat on her back. Letting out a groan, Ashlynn looked up from beneath her disheveled hair to see several deer, squirrels, raccoons, birds. One of the bigger deer kneeled down, and Ashlynn grapsed at it.

It took several minutes for her to actually pull herself upon the deer’s back, with the gentle pushing of the smaller animals, but eventually she was there. Her head leaned against the short, hot fur, hearing a rapid pulse. “We have to....get...to the bedroom...”

Slowly, the group picked through the rubble. Ashlynn was dragged over the remains of her family home, feeling less sad and more relieved. Hopefully, the nightmare was over. Total relief would not come until she had checked every inch of the castle, but through their slow ascent, she heard nothing besides the howling winds.

Ashlynn gasped as she entered her bedroom. All was as it seemed - besides a large crack on the wall with the window.

_Where is -_

 Wrenley was playing on the bed with a pair of ducklings, unharmed. Crying with relief, she swept him up in her arms and held him as he wriggled. “It’s okay, it’s finally okay.” She murmured. Normally she tried to keep him still, but knowing that he fidgeted meant that he was alive, that so far, her plan had worked.

After a long time, she set him down and looked about her room, sitting on her bed. How tiresome the entire ordeal had been, and she was in no condition to get up and be active...but she was responsible for the castle - the shambles - forever. The first means of business should be to clear out any stragglers, and for that, she would need more than the docile creatures in this room. “Okay, Wren.” She said as lightly as she could, “We’re going on a field trip. Hold on to me.” 

Checking to make sure her magic ring was secure, she lead the group down the ruined stairs, her ankle flaring with every step. She sang shakily the entire way down, and slowly, other animals began to claw their way to her. Bears. Foxes. Wolves.

The ballroom was completely caved in - she couldn’t even find the hole she crawled out of. They managed to find the kitchens, where a few cooks huddled together worriedly. 

“Ash!” Carlisle, the head chef, stepped forward in relief, glancing up and down at her muddy, torn dress. “Are you okay? What happened -”

Her face was solemn. “I'm fine...is everyone okay here? No one got hurt?" 

The cooks shook their head collectively. "O-only shaken, not hurt."

"Great." Ashlynn nodded. They were the only staff that remained from her parents' reign. "Now I need you to _all_ to leave."

The group looked shocked. “W-what?”

“It’s for the best - you don’t want to be here when the town comes calling. You’ve got families to care for - please, I don’t want the blame to fall upon you.”

Carlisle moved closer, hands to her shoulders. “Ash, we’ve known you all your life. There’s nothing we can’t help you with -”

“Go!” She shouted. “I’ll call upon you all again one day soon," _A lie_. "but for now, _you’ve - got - to - go!_ ”

He nodded, and as one, they went to their quarters to retrieve their items. They would probably find them under rubble, grow concerned, have endless questions, but they would leave.

“Make sure they get out quickly.” A group of raccoons scampered off behind them, screeching and clattering upon the stone. Ashlynn detached Wrenley from her neck and set him upon the kitchen island. Then she dug around the huge kitchen for pans, milk, a bit of flavoring, sugar - all organic or vegan ingredients. She felt like cooking while she waited, and didn’t feel like eating anything more challenging than pudding.

After an hour, a wonderful smell of pumpkin and vanilla filled the air. Ashlynn focused on sniffing the vanilla as she doled out bowls and dished some out to Wrenley and the smaller creatures. She took a spoonful from the pan and tried it - _“_ That’s not so bad, is it?” She said to the room at large. Wrenley was giggling and eating it with his hands, the spoon forgotten.

Moments later, the racoons had skittered back into the room. “Are they gone?” Asked Ashlynn. A few moments of chittery response, “I didn’t tell you to attack them!” Ashlynn said, aghast. “Just to hurry them along!”

More clicks in response. “Well, yes, but -” However, there was no denying it. Ashlynn had more or less crushed a good portion of the local town and her extended family - “But - “ Something deep within her was overjoyed. Ashlynn Ella did what she had to - her destiny had abandoned her. 

And in the end, that hadn’t mattered one whit. With her newfound freedom, she had let go some of the oldest members of the household. _I just want to be left alone. Me and Wrenley and the animals. That’s it._

A sigh, hands buried deeply into her hair. “I know it’s quite late...but search the castle. If it’s dangerous to go somewhere, don’t. We’ll look again closer tomorrow.” 

Her hands went down as she looked around the kitchen. The old hearth was still flickering dimly. She limped over. Adding a few more logs and poking them a bit, Ashlynn wiped Wrenley clean and sat on the rug beside him, nodding off as a bear curled up behind them, breathing heavily.

* * *

 

It still amazed her how quickly, simply, and brutally it all had happened. Even now, when the grand castle was dark and overrun with vines, weeds, and tall, wild trees - it had only been two years since Ashlynn freed herself. 

Though - the plants did have help from dark magic.

Many princes had come to the castle, hoping to see the Daughter of Cinderella and woo her and met with untimely ends before even ascending to the second floor. The only person allowed on rare occasion was Raven, who she had told the entire gruesome tale to when she’d ask.

“Wow, Ash.” Raven had a thin scar down the side of her nose. Her leather armor was worn and nicked, but she brought herbs and materials to make some wicked magic. “That is certainly shutting the book.”

But the longer she thought about it, the clearer it was; her destiny _had_ been played out. No charming prince or Huntsman had danced with her at the ball. She alone had snatched her parent’s last, most treasured possessions besides herself from banks, estate salesmen, and greedy in laws that had stolen and ripped from her one too many times.

“Ashen - Ashen!”

A little boy climbed over a thick, moss covered log, holding something gently in one hand, darting through the shafts of light that filtered into the decrepit hall. Ashlynn quickly stepped away from the stone statue and bent down towards the panting toddler “What is it, Wrenley?”

The chubby toddler brought his hand forth. A tiny frog, breathing shallowly. “We gonna help it, Ashen?”

“Of course.” She took it from him, turned around, and hurried down a stairway, guiding Wrenley with one hand around broken floorboards and holes. “Hurry forth and tell the plants to move; The pond in the old bedroom - you know -”

“The raft one?” _Made out of vines, magic, and bones._

“The very same, dear. Quickly, now!” 

Queen of a decrepit castle overrun with flora and fauna, with only her young half brother for company. Removing anyone who happened to knock on the door trying to sell magic beans.

It wasn’t what she had dreamed of as a child, but she embraced it all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it. Happy Birthday, Christian!


End file.
